Indicating savings-bank.



No. 679,490. Patented my so, |901.I

' F WITTE. INDICATING SAVINGS BANK.

(Application lad Nom 30, 1900.)

Ill;

UNITED STATES vPATENT OFFICE.

FRANK WITTE, oF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

INDICA'I'ING SAVlNGS-BANK.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Fatent No. 679,490, dated July 30, 1901. Application filed November 30,1900, Serial No. 38,132. (No model.)

T all whom If/.may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK WITTE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cincinnati, Hamilton county, State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Indicating Savings-Bank; and I do declare that the following is a description thereof sufficiently clear, full, and exact to enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and 1o use the same, attention beingA called to the accompanying drawings, with the referencenumerals marked thereon, which form also a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in I5 coin-receivers like savings-banks and of the kind where the coin after inserted remains inaccessible for the time being.

The features of this invention relate to means whereby the receiver or bank is caused 2o to open automatically as soon as a certain number of coins are inserted and to means whereby the number of coins so inserted is indicated at all times.

The invention consists of these means, as

described in the following specification and pointed out in the claims following, the same containing also an explanation of the various parts and their operation and manner of use, the whole being further illustrated in the acgo companying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front View of the device with parts of the front inclosure broken away and a coin inserted into the opening provided for such purpose. Fig. 2in a similar view shows 3'5 the inserted coin advanced in position 'and before its final delivery into the coin receiver. Fig. 3 is a top view of the device with parts broken away. Fig. 4 is a front view, partly in section and with some of the 4o interior parts removed. Fig. 5 is a front view of the device with the hand in a position corresponding to the position of the interior mechanism as shown in Fig. 2, and Fig. 6 is a side View thereof.

y "Onis/a suitable case, preferably drum- ,shaped and provided ferite support with feet 11 or with altace 12. It has an opening 13 for insertiuqthe coin, which by preference is located if its'round side 14, so as to be con- Vplienfly accessible.` The coin is inserted IIatwise, as shown in Fig. 1, and after placed rests upon a plate l5, disposed parallel to the spring 21 to throw the door open.

ahead into the space between plate 15 and outer wall 14 until it drops off of the edge of supporting-plate 15 or through an opening in it and is finally deposited within the interior of case 10. For so manipulating slide 16 it is provided with a knob 17, the shank of which passes through a slot 1S in the outer wall 14 of the case, which slot is of sufficient length to give the slide the necessary range required for its movement. The coins so deposited may accumulate and remain within the interior of the case or they may drop into and remain within the hollow base 12, as shown in the forms illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. Access to` these coins cannot be had until a certain number of them have accumulated, which number may be predetermined, and at which time a door 19, hingedly secured, is thrown open by means of a spring 21, bearing against the inside of the same and impelling it outwardly. This door is normally held closed by means of a lug 22 on its inside, engaged by the pin 23 of spring-catch 24,attached within the interior of the case. To release the spring-catch from lug 22, there is an inclined projection 25, carried around by a wheel 26, on which it is so located as to travel in a path which carries it under and past this spring-catch, so that by reason of the extent of its projection it is adapted to raise the catch and to disengage pin 23 from the depression in lug 22, thereby permitting Wheel 26 has a spindle 27, one end of which is mounted iu a boss 28 and provided with notches or ratchet-teeth in its edge adapted to be engaged by a spring-pawl 29, which is carried at the free end of alever 31, pivotally mounted on boss 28. This lever is so shaped and arranged that part of it (preferably its end 32) extends into the path of the coin as the same is pushed ahead by slide 16, and 'the said coin cannot be iinally delivered into the case IOO unless it displaces the end of lever 31. This causes pawl 20 thereon to act upon wheel 26, which suffers in consequence a partial rotation, which rotations, successively following each other upon each insertion of a coin, gradually advance projection 25 until it passes under spring-catch 24 and raises it off from lug 23, whereby the door is released. Since suoli a partial rotation of wheel 26 accompanies every insertion of a coin, it is clear that by proportioning, arranging, and limiting all parts concerned and their movements in a certain manner the automatic release and opening of the door may be made dependent on the number of coins inserted.

The device is suitable for use in connection with any coin by arranging accordingly the dimensions of the alected parts, particularly of the coin-opening. As shown, it is intended for use in connection with cents, and it is further arranged that upon accumulation of a given number of coins insertedfor instance, after the last one of a hundred-the door opens automatically. For such purpose wheel 26 is provided with a number of teeth corresponding to the number of coins decided upon, which in this case is one hundred, and the movement of pawl 29 is so limited that it advances wheel 26 only to the extent of a tooth at a time. It thus requires a hundred partial rotations had upon one hundred successive coin insertions to move projection 25 from a given point once around a circle, and if door 21 is pushed shut again immediately after it had been released and with projection 25 just passed clear of spring-catch 24 it is clear that this latter will not be released again until projection 25 comes around once more, which will be only after one hundred coins have again accumulated within. For the purpose of the aforesaid limited rotation the end 32 of lever 31 reaches to a proper extent, corresponding to the distance of a tooth to be moved, into the path of the coin near the terminus of such path and to which position it is normally held by a spring 33, holding it against a stop 34. Thus the coin before its final discharge is compelled to displace the end 32 of lever 31, thereby moving with active effect pawl 29, which movement is, however, at once limited, so as not to exceed an advance beyond the proper distance, which is the space of a tooth. This limitation is by suitable stops and may be obtained by limitingl the movement either of slide 16, of lever 3l, or by both. Slide 16 may be stopped by so locating handle 17 thereon that it strikes against the farther edge of the coinopening, or its edge may come against a stop 35, as shown in Fig. 4. If the limitation is by stopping lever 3l, a stop 36 is provided.

Wheel 26 is held to its advanced position by means of another but stationary pawl 37.

dotted lines in Fig. 4, until carried against end 32 of lever 3l and until Jthis end is displaced. At this time the coin has also been 7o passed oitof spring 38, as shown in Fig. 2, so that as soon as slide 16 is retracted the coin will drop into the case, as shown in dotted lines in said Fig. 2. The rotary movement of wheel 26 may be further utilized to actuate an indicating device which shows at any time the number of coins deposited within. For such purpose spindle 27 of wheel 26 is extended beyond its bearing, supporting it in front 39 of the case and provided thereat with a hand 41,0perating in conjunction with a dial on said front. The graduation of this dial is of course based on the largest number of coins the case is to contain at the time the same opens, which in this case is one hundred. Hand 41 and projection 25 on wheel 26 are therefore so located with respect to each other that when the hundredth partial rotation of wheel 26 causes projection 25 to release the door hand 41 points to 100 on the dial. A partition 42 is by preference placed in front of the mechanism within the`"case to prevent any possible interference by the inserted coins. The connection of hand 41 to spindle 27 may be by rivet or solder and by preference is only sui'- fieiently strong to hold the hand in place, so that upon an attempt being made to turn the hand without the insertion of a coin the force of such exertion would cause the hand to become disengaged. A connection by a reversed screw-thread would also accomplish this object.

Having described my invention, I claim as new- 1. In a coin-receiver of the kind described, the combination of a hollow case, an inletopening in one of the sides thereof, a supporting-plate against which the inserted coin rests iatwise, a slide whereby the coin so deposited is moved off from said supporting-plate and delivered into the case, a door to permit removal of the coins, dial on the outside of the case, a hand therefor, means whereby said hand is rotated and intermediate mechanism operated by the coins while passing into the case and actuating the aforesaid means for the purpose of moving the hand with each insertion of a coin.

2. In a coin-receiver of the kind described, the combination of a hollow case, an inletopening in one of the sides thereof, a supporting-plate against which the inserted coin rests flatwise, a slide whereby the coin so deposited is moved off from said supporting-plate and delivered into the case, a door to perngi-ccmoval of the cpins;aspringoatch whili holed the same normally closed, a dial on the outside of the case, a hand for it, inc-ins whereby the latter is rotated and intermebat@ anism operated by the coin at eacl insertion while passing into the case and actuatingfhe aforesaid means for the purpose of advancing the hand with each insertion of a coin and rc-l IDO mech- 13o leasing finally the spring-catch after a certain number of insertions to permit access through the door to the interior of the case.

3. In a coin-receiver of the kind described, the combination of a hollow case, an inletopening for the coin, means whereby this latter is temporarily supported after insertion, a slide whereby the inserted coin is discharged into the hollow case, a wheel within this latter, a spindle on which the same is mounted and one end of which projects through the front of the case, a hand mounted on this end, a dial on the front and means actuated by the coin during its passage into the case whereby said wheel is partially rotated upon each insertion of a coin thereby moving the hand accordingly with reference to its dial.

4. In a coin-receiver of the kind described, the combination of a hollow case, an inletopening for the coin, means whereby this latter is temporarily supported after insertion, a slide whereby the inserted coin is discharged into the hollow case, a spring-actuated door permitting access to this latter, a locking device whereby this door is held normally closed, a wheel within this case, a spindle on which the same is mounted and one end of which projects through the front of the case, a hand mounted on this end, la dial on the front, means actuated by the coin during its passage Ainto the case and whereby said wheel is partially rotated upon each insertion of a coin, moving the hand accordingly, and a projection on said wheel adapted to act upon the locking means of the door in a manner to release the latter when the hand has arrived at a certain designated point on the dial.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK WITTE.

Witnesses C. SPENGEL, ARTHUR KLINE. 

